‘Gwadar to become heart of regional trade’

ISLAMABAD:

President Asif Ali Zardari has said Pakistan is exploring options to bring water from Tajikistan to Balochistan and the feasibility study in this regard has already been completed with the support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government.

“Gwadar is no longer a promise—it is a reality, and the port city is set to become the beating heart of regional trade, investment, and logistics,” the president said on Tuesday in his keynote address at the International Conference on “Regional Connectivity & Pakistan: Emerging Opportunities”.

The conference was organized by Pakistan-China Institute (PCI), a think tank that brought together high-level government officials, diplomats, business leaders, and experts to discuss Pakistan’s pivotal role in fostering regional connectivity, trade expansion, and investment opportunities.

The conference, structured into three sessions, provided a platform for open discussions reaffirming Pakistan’s strategic importance in linking South Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf, and China.

President Zardari also reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unwavering commitment” to regional connectivity and has outlined a three-pronged vision that includes transforming landlocked Central Asian nations into land-linked economies through Balochistan’s Gwadar port.

Explaining the other two parts of the three-pronged vision, Zardari said the country wants to position itself as a strategic trade bridge between East and West, and to leverage Pakistan’s deep-sea ports—Gwadar, Karachi, and Port Qasim—to propel the blue economy and maritime trade.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the PCI, underscored Pakistan’s pivotal role as a regional connectivity hub, linking South Asia, China, Central Asia, and the Gulf.

He highlighted the success of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which has attracted $26 billion in investments, transforming Pakistan’s economic landscape while positioning Gwadar Port and the newly developed Gwadar International Airport as key regional transit hubs.